168. Doing It Naturally; Haste Makes Waste

¹ “Where one spirit shines constantly and myriad thoughts are void” means the mind reaches “utmost quietness” spontaneously, and is “far into emptiness and grounded in quietude.” It is not difficult to do, so long as you follow the instructions, there is hope in reaching that state of mind.

¹ 「一靈常照，萬念皆空」，就是要靜到極點，虛極靜篤，心裡面空空洞洞，自自然然。這並不難，只要照著做就都有希望。

² Yet, you cannot remain in “utmost quietness,” because you lose the quietness as soon as a thought comes in. It occurs naturally. It is a condition that you may encounter, but cannot expect or seek.

² 你若沒有辦法靜到極點，一個念一來，這個境界就沒有了。不過不要勉強，這是自自然然，可遇而不可求的事。

³ As with everything else, haste makes waste. This applies to quiet sitting as well. The faster you want it to happen, the less you can achieve. You cannot skip the normal steps. Quiet sitting is a natural phenomenon.

³ 坐功是欲速則不達。什麼事情都是一樣。你越要想快，越做不到，是不能躐等。[躐等就是跳板、越級、跳過去]。坐功是自然的現象。

⁴ As I said, “where one spirit shines constantly and myriad thoughts are void” is a natural phenomenon. Nonetheless, you may encounter it, but not force it to happen. Only those who have experienced it in person can understand. Personal experience is the effort that builds up over time.

⁴ 我講的「一靈常照、萬念皆空」，是自然的現象，是可遇而不可求的，只有自己親身經歷的人才能體會。所謂親身經歷，就是功夫，是點點滴滴的時間累積起來的。

The Anthro-Celestial Research College, the Anthro-Celestial Cultivation College, June 2, 1993

天人研究學院、天人修道學院－民國八十二年六月二日